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| Arijon Ibrahimovic. Photo: Bundesliga |
Albanian-German player Arijon Ibrahimovic made his debut with Bayern Munich's first team in the Bavarians' match against Bochum this Saturday.
The 17-year-old entered the field in the 77th minute as he replaced Leroy Sane, in the match that the locals won 3-0 at "Allianz Arena".
Ibrahimovic is seen as one of the most promising talents in German football. He currently represents the German U-18 national team, as he previously played for U-17 and U-16.
Who is Arijon Ibrahimovic?
Born in Nuremberg to Kosovo Albanian parents in 2005, Ibrahimovic, who is no relation to Swedish star Zlatan, took his first steps in club football with Greuther Furth.
In 2014, at the age of nine, Ibrahimovic moved to join Nuremberg to continue his development. After just four years there, Bavaria's biggest club contacted him and he joined Bayern.
Congrats on making your Bundesliga debut, Arijon! 👏#MiaSanMia pic.twitter.com/OeQDDTUvg5
— FC Bayern Munich (@FCBayernEN) February 12, 2023
Since being part of Bayern's youth set-up, Ibrahimovic has developed into one of the most highly regarded young talents at the club, rising quickly through the age groups.
The teenager made his debut for Bayern's Under-17s aged 14, scoring twice and assisting three times in five appearances in 2020/21.
Despite being only 16 years old in December 2021, he was promoted to the U-19 team that same year. In 2022-23, Ibrahimovic has continued to improve, scoring 10 times in nine appearances for the U-19s and going on to make two more appearances for Bayern's reserves, where he provided two assists.
His name came into focus when he trained with Julian Nagelsmann's first team during the 2021-22 pre-season. Arijon came up against players and Dayot Upamecano and Eric-Maxim Choupo-Moting, and even scored during a practice match.
Having just qualified for the squad for Bundesliga matches after turning 16, Ibrahimovic was named among the substitutes in the 2-1 defeat to Borussia Monchengladbach in the 18th match of the 2021-22 campaign.